Milk-can lock.



L. HOFER.

MILK CAN LOCK.

APPLICATION FILE-'1) AUG. 13, 1910.

972,000 Patented Oct. 4, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

I 40 iZ- fi 15 a y a INVENTOR Ho F'E. R

L. HOFER.

MILK CAN LOOK.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 13, 1910. 9?$,0U, Patented 0ct.4, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L a .7? J9 LOUIS HOFER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

MILK-CAN LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 4, 1910.

Application filed August 13, 1910. Serial No. 577,018.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs HOFER, a subject of the Emperor ofAustria-Hungary, residing at N. S. Pittsburg, in the county of Alleghenyand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Milk-Can Locks, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to milk can locks, and the objects of theinvention are to provide a milk can with a novel lock for positivelyretaining the lid upon the can, thereby preventing the contents of thecan from being tampered with or surreptitiously removed, thus insuring asafe shipment of the contents of the can from the producer to theconsumer, and further, to furnish a can with a locking mechanism that issimple, durable and applicable to various types of cans.

I attain the above objects by a mechanical construction that will behereinafter specifically described and then claimed.

Reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a frontelevation of a portion of the can provided with the lock, Fig. 2 is aplan of the same, Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the can,Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the can and the lockthereof, Fig. 5 is a cross sectional View of the lock, and Fig. 6 is aperspective view of a detached keeper adapted to form part of the lock.

Like reference numerals designate corresponding parts through theseveral views of the drawings.

1 denotes a can having a neck 2 and adapted to fit in said neck is thedepending collar 3 of a lid 4. The top of the lid 4 is provided with atransverse strap 5 to which is attached a handle 6, the ends of saidstrap extending beyond the lid and having depending lock frames 7. Thelower ends of the frames 7 are provided with transverse slots 8 therebyproviding hook-shaped members 9 at the lower ends of the frames, andthese hook-shaped members are adapted to ride into engagement withcurved diametrically opposed keepers 10 secured to opposite sides of theneck 2, as at 11. The keepers 10 besides being curved to conform to theperiphery of the neck 2, are curved to form cam surfaces that will forcethe lid 4 into snug engagements with the neck 2 as the hook-shapedmembers 9 ride into engagement with the keepers 10. The keepers 10 havethe upper surfaces thereof provided with a plurality of recesses 12 andeach keeper is provided with an outwardly projecting lug 13 to limit themovement of the hook-shaped members 9, and the inner edges of saidkeepers are provided with vertical slots 14, whereby an ordinary seal orpadlock 15 can be placed in engagement with the keeper to obstruct thepath of the hookshaped members 9 and thus cooperate with the lockingframes 7 in positively retaining the lid upon the can.

16 denotes a spring pressed yoke slidably mounted in a recess 17provided therefor in the frames 7. The lower end of the yoke 16 has alatch 18 adapted to extend through an opening 19 in the bottom of theframe 7 and into one of the recesses 12 of the keeper 10. The top of theyoke 16 has a small pin 20 and encircling said pin is the lowerconvolution of a coiled spring 21, the upper end of said spring beingretained in a recess 22 provided therefor in the frame 7.

23 denotes a key-bolt rotatably mounted in the frame 7, said boltextending transversely through the yoke 16 and having a cam member 24within said yoke for elevating the yoke and moving the latch 18 out ofengagement with one of the recesses 12. One end of the bolt 23 isprovided with a knob or button 25, and the opposite end of the key-boltextends int-o a key casing 26, carried by a detachable plate 27 adaptedto be secured to the frame 7 to close the recess 17 thereof. In the keycasing 26 are arranged tumblers 28 constituting a lock of the Yale typefor securing the bolt 23, the lock being opened and closed by a suitablecey.

Since the frames 7 extend under the rim 29 of the can neck 2, said rimis cut away at diametrically opposed points, as at 30 whereby the lidcan be easily placed in engagement with the can and rotated to carry thehook-shaped members 9 of the frames 7 into engagement with the keepers10.

It is thought that the operation and utility of the lock will beapparent without further description, and while I have hereinillustrated the means which I prefer for carrying out my invention, itis obvious that other and equivalent means may be employed for thatpurpose, and I therefore do not limit the scope of my invention furtherethan as defined in the claims hereto appended.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In combination with a milk can having a neck and a lid adapted to fitthereon, of diametrically opposed keepers carried by the neck of saidcan, diametrically opposed locking frames carried by said lid and havingthe lower ends thereof hook-shaped and adapted to ride into engagementwith said keepers, and means arranged in said frames 1n the presence oftwo witnesses.

for locking said frames in engagement with said keepers, said meansincluding a spring pressed yoke, a latch carrled thereby, and

a key-bolt for moving said yoke.

2. In combination with amilk can having a neck and a lid adapted to fitthereon, 0f cam shaped keepers carried by opposite sides of said neck,diametrically opposed locking frames carried by said lid and having thelower ends thereof hook-shaped and adapted to ride into engagement withsaid keepers, means for limiting the movement of the hook-shaped ends ofsaid frames upon said keepers, and means adapted to engage said keepersfor obstructing the path I of the hook-shaped ends of said frames.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature LOUIS HOFER. WVitnesses JOHNL. STEPHANY, K. H. BUTLER.

